Night Windows is a project started by Benjamin Hughes. His self-engineered/produced soon to be released debut album, Musicassette/Magnetic Memory, was crafted from the perspective of a young man facing a reality far different from the one promised him in his youth.
A 26 year-old with a bachelor’s degree worth of debt and a series of unrelated day jobs to pay it back, Hughes is a poster boy for the bursted-bubble millennial generation. He sings about being part of a downtrodden blue-collar work force, helping loved ones through hard times and clinging desperately to his musician dreams which ebb to the margins of his days. With his acoustic guitar, a hand-me-down drum kit and an array of gritty lo-fi instruments and effects, Hughes shaped this seamless 12 track debut album in his bedroom; creating an album with an authentic tone and a personal character you only get with quality lo-fi music.
Influences include but are not limited to Weezer, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Shins, David Bazan, Spoon, The Weakerthans, CAKE, The Flaming Lips, The Good Life, Saves The Day, The Get Up Kids, Wilco, EELS, Death Cab for Cutie, Daniel Johnston, John Vanderslice and Chad Vangaalen. As you can see, this is a musician who takes a lot of interest in a diverse range of music making his own music interesting and adaptable.
Night Windows’ debut album Musicassette/Magnetic Memory is scheduled for release for April 15 2014 via Black Rd Records. As of late January, pre-orders went live and three tracks were made available for streaming. You can listen to those tracks here.
Hailing from Northern Ireland, RAMS’ Pocket Radio has just launched his debut single from the album Béton (French for concrete) in the build up to his upcoming tour of the USA and Ireland.
The new single is called Love Is A Bitter Thing and will be available for purchase and download everywhere on Monday 17 March.
RAMS’ Pocket Radio is the alias of Northern Irish performer, Peter McCauley. A multi-instrumentalist, RAMS’ takes inspiration from sources as varied as Beethoven and brutalist architecture to construct smart pop songs with a sharp progressive twist. His debut album Béton is a solid statement built on several years writing, performing and growing.
RAMS’ Pocket Radio
Béton had a unique launch night exclusively in Northern Ireland last June. In the absence of online streaming of the album, the launch presented the perfect opportunity for dedicated fans to get their hands on the physical object before the rest of the world. RAMS’ was joined on stage for the launch by musicians including Nathan Connolly (Snow Patrol), David C. Clements, SOAK, Gareth Dunlop and DukeSpecial.
Love Is A Bitter Thing is the first single to be released from Béton. It has long been celebrated as the jewel in RAMS’ live set and sits as a reflective pause in the album itself. It’s a beautifully written song that is sung from the heart. There’s emotion, passion and a fighting energy to be heard in Love Is A Bitter Thing. It’s your typical pop song written about love and relationships but this song has something more to give. The lyrics, “I would love it if you said that/I want my friend back/I’ve got this feeling/Love is a bitter thing…” are sung with such conviction it’s hard to not get choked up when you listen to McCauley’s vocals. Love Is A Bitter Thing demonstrates the complications that falling in love can lead to – it’s wonderful most of the time but when you lose that feeling, it feels like the hardest thing ever. It becomes a bitter thing.
The single will be accompanied by new versions recorded by Alana Henderson and electronic artist Ryan Vail, as well as an official music video and live duet with SOAK (newly signed to CHVRCHES’ label).
Last winter, RAMS’ had the pleasure of supporting Glassnote signed artist Foy Vance on his extensive U.S. and European tour. Prior to this, RAMS’ has toured Europe, UK and Ireland with bands like Snow Patrol, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly and Darwin Deez. RAMS’ will return to the U.S. this March to play several showcasing performances in New York and SXSW.
You can catch RAMS’ Pocket Radio live on the following dates:
March 8 New York Webster Hall (with Duke Special)
March 10 SXSW Northern Irish party O/S 10pm
March 11 SXSW UKTI Great British Breakfast, Parkside
March 12 SXSW British Music Embassy showcase O/S 2.50pm
Tara is an Australian singer songwriter who has chosen Dublin as a new home because of her father’s deep Irish roots. Her music journey began at the age of ten when she picked up a guitar and started casually experimenting with it. She’s never looked back since, and after years of playing around with various musical styles, collaborators and musicians, she’s ready to release her debut single, Stars.
With the help of her musicians; Anthony McMahon, Paul Flood and Ally Donald, Tara manages to channel her ideas live on stage and together they create a performance worthy of a big audience. Tara has played at the Whelan’s Ones To Watch Festival and was voted Gig Of The Week by the Irish Times.
Stars artwork
Stars is a sonic journey from the word go and sounds like a dreamy perception of Tara’s reality. Her ability to mold soft and ambient soundscapes with energetic coatings of electric guitars create an exciting treat for every listener. The electronic layers of synths and pads add an extra dimension to the song’s texture by wrapping the production gently into the blanket of reverbial sounds.
Tara’s vocals bear an interstellar sparkle and fit perfectly inside the dreamy arrangements. With a blend of Sia, Delilah, Corinne Bailey-Rae and Shaekspear’s Sister, Tara brings energy, conviction and natural talent into the powerful mix of female artists.
Stars works efficiently from a sonic experience and a song-writing point of view. It will be available for sale and download from April 6.
Australian indie quartet Monks Of Mellonwah are set to release their new album Turn The People on March 7 through Gatcombe Music Pty Ltd. Throughout 2013, Monks Of Mellonwah released songs from Turn The People in three volumes. The first volume, Ghost Stories, consisted of tracks Ghost Stories, Vanity and Sailing Stones. The second volume, Afraid To Die, features songs Afraid To Die, Alive For A Minute, Downfall and I Belong To You. The final volume is yet to be released.
Having been compared to the likes of Incubus, Muse and The Black Keys, Monks of Mellonwah are definitely a band to watch. While the vocals by Vikram Kaushik are very similar to that of Incubus’ Brandon Boyd, Monks of Mellonwah do have their own unique musical style that cannot be compared. And as ever, this unique sound is as present on Turn The People as on previous EP releases Neurogenesis and Sky and the Dark Night.
Turn The People starts with Ghost Stories Intro – a soft yet haunting track featuring tones that are gradually accompanied by a relaxing drum beat. It’s a brilliant introduction to this fabulous record. It breaks you in gently and leaves you hanging on for more.
From the first note on the guitar of Ghost Stories, you can instantly recognise the record as belonging to the Monks of Mellonwah. Kaushik’s vocals sound mature, they sound different from his vocals on Neurogenesis, for example. His vocals seem cleaner in a way. The chorus, “Turning and burning the apple falls so far from the tree/I cannot take it/It’s burning a flame inside of me” is incredibly catchy and will have you singing along in no time. Kaushik’s vocals are particularly good; they are dramatic and sexy, especially at end of chorus when he holds “me”. Ghost Stories has addictive guitar riffs, vocals and lyrics, “In the forest/Saw the lightning/Bolts and they were scared away/Its cataclysmic/This L.A violence/Holy roller/ Hurricane/I hardly knew/Tried to lose her/ This forest seems to know my name/No horizon in this forest/Only violence takes the stage.” The music builds to become more dramatic throughout the song too.
Vanity is more upbeat and more light-hearted. The track kicks starts with distorted yet sexy vocals once again, “Vanity/Vanity/You’re stretching my insanity/Insanity…”. Vanity feels like a mix between Fall Out Boy and Maroon 5 which is surprisingly brilliant. Vanity has elements of the sounds heard on Maroon 5′s, Songs About Jane. The guitar riff in the chorus screams Maroon 5 while the drum beat and guitar riff towards the end lends itself towards Fall Out Boy as do the vocals throughout. It has that refreshing feel which will instantly have you tapping your feet to the beat.
Tear You Hate Apart is a previously unheard track and sees electronic sounds seep into the record for first time. It sounds more artificially produced than the previous tracks. The drum beat creates this artificial sound. Kaushik’s high pitched vocals are spine-tingling, allowing him to show off his range. It’s a track with a narrative and is quite an emotionally exposing song, “I was lying there that night/When your daddy fell and died/Everybody wept and cried/You just kept your hands with mine/Nice to know I failed you again/I’m sinking, stumbling I don’t know the way/Nice to know you’ll all be OK/My only question/What remains of me?” The lyrics are brilliantly written uncovering a sad side to this energetic band. Tear You Hate Apart shows a deeper side to the writing of this band like their previously released, I Belong To You.
Monks of Mellonwah
Pulse keeps with the electronic influences Monks Of Mellonwah have added to their music. There’s an underlying synth melody repeated throughout the song. Pulse has more of a pop feel to it due to this electronic sound. It is more uplifting in its melodic vocals but the lyrics remain less optimistic, “My soul will always be cold/When we run/We find some sun/I don’t feel what’s real/In all the same old things”. Even though some of the lyrics might not be particularly cheery, the chorus is uplifting in its vocal melody. You can almost picture listening to this track’s chorus on a beach in Australia.
Alive For A Minute has a really wonderful deep bass line that starts the track. The bass line draws the listener’s attention to it leaving the drums being heard playing faintly in the background. This bass line is accompanied by the electric synth sounds and strings which add drama. Alive For A Minute is a song you’ll want to hear again and again. Kaushik has the sort of voice that sends shivers down your spine – you can hear his emotion and strength in every line of lyrics sung. This is especially true in the first verse, “Chasing away in a place where the light is all gone/Run around it’s over now the final seed is a no…”
Escaping Alcatraz is another previously unheard song from Monks Of Mellonwah. It’s a dramatic rock number with fabulous guitar riffs at the beginning. It’s quite a heavy song in comparison to the previous songs on the album. Escaping Alcatraz encompasses all this band’s enthusiasm and energy into one song. Once again, those string accompaniments appear in the incredibly dramatic parts making this song an explosion of sounds.
Sailing Stones brings the record back to the familiar sound of the Monks of Mellonwah. Sailing Stones really allows Kaushik to show off his vocal talents as the music is sparse during parts of the song which gives his voice the space needed to show it off. There’s an awesome Indian inspired guitar solo accompanied by dramatic strings towards the end of the song – every listener should hang on just to hear it.
Turn The People is the last previously unheard song on the album. It’s a ballad which sees Kaushik’s vocals accompanied solely by a piano at the start of the track before the synths take over. This is another track that perhaps takes Monks Of Mellonwah away from rock and more towards pop and mainstream. It’s a track with a lot of influences in it making it hard to place into a genre. Either way, it’s an interesting track with beautifully honest lyrics about love.
Downfall continues to build on the Monks of Mellonwah’s rock style as the fast guitar riff plays unaccompanied at the beginning of the song. Kaushik’s vocals are as pleasant as ever on Downfall showing off his soft voice that is naturally good. There’s no straining heard in his vocals. Afraid To Die succeeds Downfall. It starts with low tones and heavy bass with a punchy guitar riff in the forefront.
I Belong To You is a stripped back number with only an acoustic guitar and some soft electronic melodies present making this track the most relaxed on the record. The lyrics, “I still dream of a day of when I’m closer/When I become all that I can be/In my surrender in no conception/I still lose/In my ascension/There’s still no mention of you” are lyrics that can be related to. These lyrics sung with a lack of instruments emphasise the emotion behind this track. It’s still the best track Monks Of Mellonwah have released.
Sky And The Dark Night is the last song on the record and features all the songs from the progressive and experimental Sky And The Dark Night EP that was released last April.
Turn The People sees Monks of Mellonwah succeed in their mission. They set out musically not to repeat past styles yet rather to pave the future for alternative rock. In doing so, they take the pre-eminent sounds of 70s psychedelic rock and 90s alternative and blend it into something fresh and new. Their music is an adventure – not a destination. And this is exactly what Turn The People is – an adventure.
As part of Record Store Day, which takes place on April 19, Battle Worldwide Recordings will be releasing a limited edition 12″ Vinyl entitled My First Record, My First Store. This record will feature a variety of Battle Worldwide Recordings’ acts covering tracks from albums that truly inspired and helped mould them into the artists they are today.
What is the defining point in an artist’s life that makes them take a path that will envelope their interests and work for the rest of their life? Every musician has a point, usually in their teens, that is an awakening that excites their senses and drives them to pick up a guitar, microphone, drum kit or even a laptop nowadays and start producing music. My First Record, My First Store is a physical and digital diary from Battle Worldwide Recordings’ artistes and partners, put together for Record Store Day 2014.
My First Record, My First Store will map stories from each artiste on the label about the record that most influenced them, where they bought it and why it was important to them. Over the coming months, stories will be added to the Battle Worldwide Recordings website that will include streaming links and other goodies. On Record Store Day 2014, Battle Worldwide Recordings will release a limited edition colour vinyl compilation of artist recordings of select tracks.
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